A Guide to Childhood Traumas and Healing Your Inner Child
What is Childhood trauma?
Out of nowhere and without warning, it reminds you of the same incidents and how it makes you uncomfortable. Suddenly, the brain wants to fight-or-flight. It's a series of events that occur during our latency stage and are now stuck in our little innocent world. They often appear when being triggered by an identical event. Most of these are unwarranted events stuck in our long-term memories. These may impact our beliefs and perspectives as we grow up. We are a ticking time bomb. We explode when our amygdala cannot handle the pressure. Either way, we learn how to cope with these series of traumas. Whether naturally or through undergoing therapy.
“Let kids be kids.” Mistakes are inevitable. Adults make lots of mistakes, what’s more for kids
The most common causes of Childhood Trauma
- Criticism and insult
Constant criticism can be degrading. It kills a person’s spirit. Being raised by parents who treat children as an adult is very demeaning. Let kids be kids. Mistakes are inevitable. Adults make lots of mistakes, what’s more for kids.
2. Accidents or loss of a loved ones
Losing a loved one at such a young age is very disturbing. It is your first heartbreak. Especially if it’s a mother or a father, maternal and paternal bonds would be lost forever.
3. Toxic Environment
Environment involves physical, emotional, or psychological. That is why it is important to reinforce a child positively. The environment that they’re exposed to at a young age shapes them later in life. This may result in extreme fear, dizziness, anxiety, etc.
4. Role Reversal
When a child is forced to take on adult responsibilities at a young age. In reverse, the child is pressured to provide care and emotional support. For instance, a 5-year-old is obligated to take care of a sick parent or sibling instead of consuming his/her energy doing kid's stuff.
5. Anger or rage
Strict or authoritarian parents can result in a child to be repressing and suppressing anger or rage. This may result in a child being easily irritable and inability to control their anger when they grow up.
How to deal with triggers
- Acknowledge the abuse. It is what it is. It happened in the past and it won’t bother me anymore.
- Notice hypervigilance. Take a deep breath. Exhale and inhale. Exhale the negativities but inhale the positive ones. Never be anxious about anything.
- Set firm boundaries. Know what detail in your life you want to share and what is not. And stick to that principle.
- Seek professional help. Somatic therapy helps release pent-up emotions.
- Widen your understanding. It allows you to grieve and understand where they’re coming from.
- Embrace your inner child. We are the safest and most loving parents to ourselves.
- Find your happiness. Being exposed to competition and taking on adult responsibilities can be stressful. Seek your hobby or an activity that will not bore you easily. Finding joy and happiness is most important.
- Practice re-direction. Whenever triggered, practice re-directing thoughts. Think about a happy memory or a positive thought.
- Disengage when needed.
- Be confident. Never overthink and take everything negatively.
Conclusion
Heal your inner child before planning on getting married and having kids. Learn to self-regulate. It’s the only key for us to succeed and move forward. Forgive the past but never forget and learn from it. If not, this may result in generational karma. End the habit.
